Return to Domino
by dri-dri93
Summary: Each of the DOOM bikers returns to Domino on their own. This is the story of how they met each other again.
1. Raphael's Return

Raphael's Return

That night I will never intentionally forget. That was the night that my entire family was ripped away, and I was sent into a type of exile, seeing no form of human life for almost three years. That was when I really formed a bond with my monsters.

The ship had been peaceful, as had the entire cruise. But that night, a sudden storm swept up, devastating the peaceful scene. Chairs, tables, and families were swept overboard by huge waves. I was the only survivor. My parents and siblings died in the water that night, and they killed a part of me that never really grew back until eleven years later, when I first met my new colleagues.

Alister seemed okay, even though he had a strange taste in fashion and an obsessive need for revenge. Valon also was alright, even though he had come from prison. His attitude would need work; he always disrespected our master Dartz, the man who had led me from my old broken life into this new purpose. He also was a little rough around the edges, but being in prison or on the streets most of your life could do that to you. He and Alister never really got along. On later missions I found myself refereeing fights about the smallest things, like Alister's need to be alone or Valon's violent nature. Valon eventually calmed down, and he actually became a steadfast pillar of strength for when things got hairy. Alister was the same. Even though he almost never said a word, he could be counted on to watch your back in a fight.

When Master Dartz sent me after the Nameless Pharaoh, I couldn't help but feel honored. He sent me after the hardest target. I defeated him once by giving him the Orichalcos and letting it use him, but somehow his gentle alter ego got sent to the Leviathan instead. The second time I dueled him, he showed me the truth about Dartz and his lies. I had already activated the seal, but when I lost the duel, it could find no purchase in my soul. The darkness I had harbored for so long was gone, and I was saved. I followed the Pharaoh and his friends the Dartz's lair, where Dartz gave me the full story on how he got me to enter his forces. He did it all: destroyed my family, killed Alister's little brother, falsely accused Valon of his first crime. That did it. The dam of anger inside of me broke. The seal then was able to take my soul, and I faded into darkness.

In that bubble of energy, I had time to think about everything. I thought long and hard about everything I had ever done, the good and the bad sitting side-by-side. I realized that if I got out of this, I would have to apologize to the Pharaoh. It was him who had set me free from Dartz's lies, and him who had tried to save me, even when his life was in danger and I had just almost killed him. After that, I didn't know what I was going to do.

When the Pharaoh freed me, I returned to my body in Kaiba's chopper. We all took off, minus the Pharaoh, who had stayed behind on Atlantis, where the final battle had been fought while I was trapped. The Wheeler kid saw him on a sandbar soon after we took off, and once he had boarded, I thanked him. After that, I distanced myself as far away from them as I could. We had nothing in common, that young group and I. When the chopper landed, I realized that somehow someone had thought to bring along my bike, and I took it and rode off.

From there, I rode all over the world, trying to find my place. I settled for a little while in France, my homeland, but bad memories forced me to leave. Then I moved on to the states, where we had built many safe houses back in Doom. But the house always seemed too quiet. I was always waiting for Valon to come running through the door, pursued by an irate Alister. Or maybe Valon being chased by an irate Gurimo. Or maybe even, if Valon was really unlucky, he would be chased by Dartz himself. But it never happened. I was alone in an empty house, surrounded once again by the ghosts of my past.

Now I find myself in Domino City, the starting point of all of Doom's adventures together. One day, I had felt some urge to return here, and I have learned from my time on the island to never doubt my gut feeling. So I came, and here I am. Now I'm standing in the port, looking lost. I had forgotten how long a boat trip took, and now I was stranded in the city with no place to stay, job to make money, or even other clothes to my name.

I wonder what happened to my partners. Are they still out there somewhere? Or have they gone their own ways, disappeared off the face of the planet? Maybe one day we can meet again. Maybe one day, this hole in my chest will be filled by the warmth of family and friendship again. Only time will tell.


	2. Alister's Return

Hi. I'm so sorry about the extreme length of time between updates. I'm sure that everyone has forgotten about this story by now. But my dad blocked this site from my home network (don't ask). I really didn't want to post on a school computer. And I also am slowly losing interest in this fandom (NOOOOO!). I'm writing for now, but I'll try and come back to these stories. I have no clue where to go on 'Dropping In'. I'll try and get on that one, but I literally wrote that chapter and didn't plan ahead at all.

Anyway, here's the second chappie of "Return to Domino". This one is in Alister's POV (if you couldn't guess form the title of the chapter).

**Alister's Return**

It all started back when the first soldiers came. Then it all went downhill. My entire family died in that war; everyone I had ever held dear. The one that shook me the most was my little brother. That one sent me off the deep end for a little while. The death of your little brother is something no big brother should ever have to witness, but especially not when you know that you could have saved him if only you had been smarter, acted faster, trusted your instincts a little bit more. I had known that the camp was a bad place to go; it was the most obvious place to attack. But I went there. Looking back, I don't know why, but back then it made perfect sense.

That tank not only killed my brother, but also my innocence and my childhood. No, wait. The war killed my childhood. I was already an adult at age nine, caring for my little brother like a father. That is not the way that it is meant to work. But in wartime, that's how many kids survive.

After Mikey died, I saw Gozaburo Kaiba shaking hands with the senior officer of the troops that attacked the refugee camp. He gave me a scapegoat, someone to blame the deaths on. When the old sot died, I pinned it on his adopted son and heir instead. Thus my hatred for Seto Kaiba was born.

From then on I searched for a way to kill him. When Dartz came to me, offering a simple way, I took it. I didn't think about all of the lives that I'd be destroying when he was offered to the beast. I only thought of revenge.

By the time I was able to attack him, I had bought out Kaiba Corp, his company. I knew that that was a sure way to get him to come and get me himself. Our first duel ended in a draw, so the Seal did nothing…yet. I vowed then and there to take Kaiba down, by any means possible.

Our next match occurred on his private jet. I masqueraded as the pilot just until Kaiba noticed that there was an issue. Then I emerged, ready to duel him and exact my revenge. We dueled long and hard as the plane flew on, no pilot in the seat. Kaiba managed to beat me with his Legendary Dragon. Then Mikey came to me, telling me that it wasn't even his fault, and that even if it was, I was going about this the wrong way. He told me to look at Mokuba, Kaiba's younger brother. Did I want to hurt him just as bad as Gozaburo hurt me?

I realized my mistake too late. I lost, and my soul was ripped from my body and sealed inside a stone tablet. In the 'holding tank' for spirits like us, I thought long and hard about Mikey's words. I came to realize that he was right. Revenge was not the answer. I had let my anger overcome my common sense, which had led to my defeat.

When Kaiba managed to free me with the help of the Pharaoh, I woke up in a hospital room somewhere. I still had Mikey's scorched and broken Dyna-Dude action figure, which I had always treasured. From that room, I promised something new: Mikey would always live on in my heart.

From there I wandered the world, trying to find a place to settle down. Someone had had the good sense to leave my motorcycle in the parking lot. That helped a lot in my travels. But no matter how hard I looked, I always ended up back at Domino. I couldn't seem to shake the feeling that something wanted me to stay there. So I eventually bought a house and got a job working at an orphanage for kids like me. Sometimes I catch myself thinking about Valon and Raphael. Raphael had always been a steadfast partner. He was as strong man inside and out, and his character was good even though we worked for an agency that was trying to take over the world. Valon…Valon was a conundrum. A very annoying conundrum. He always managed to get under my skin back at Doom, through a combination of annoying comments and pranks. I paid him back for the pranks. The comments I usually let slide. In the rare occasion that I didn't, Raphael always stepped in to referee the fight that broke out. But Valon confused me. He was so much like Mikey, almost innocent in that childish way, but his jail time taught him how to survive by the skin of his teeth. I had to respect him for that.

These days I usually sit here, brooding over my past, sitting either on the roof or at the window seat. Fresh air clears my mind. Sometimes I contemplate the idea of all of us bikers getting together again. But I soon dismiss it. It's not like I can call them up and tell them where I am.

But even so, I still feel hollow in a way, like there's a hole in my chest that I haven't felt since before Doom and Dartz. I guess even with the attitude I try to project, I'm still hurting inside. I still pine for the family that was torn from me thirteen years ago. For a short time, Doom filled that hole. Now, I'm alone again, and I feel like the gaping wound reopened. I hope sometime I can heal it. Maybe one day, us Doom bikers really will meet again. Only time will tell.

~~~AAA~~~

I hope you all liked it! I have the 3rd chapter written too, but I'm going to wait for some reviews before I post it (mean, I know). Thanks so much to those who reviewed the first chapter; you sort of inspired me to post this one.

Signing off...


	3. Valon's Return

**Hi, everyone. I'm back with another chappie of this thing. Hope you enjoy!**

****_Valon's Return_

()-()-()-()

When I first stepped into Domino City, I could sense tension in the air. Don't ask how. It's a sixth sense of mine. It came from living off the streets for most of my childhood. Alister was the same way, for a different reason. He lived in a place where, if you couldn't sense danger, you died. Usually in a messy way. I should probably introduce myself. Hey, mate. I'm Valon. I'm your expert on who to avoid and who to approach on the streets. I can sense pending danger like old people can sense bad weather coming in their bones. I lived with two other blokes, Raphael (I call him Raph) and Alister. Alister was moody. Really moody. Like bite your head off if you annoy him moody. That's why I annoyed him. Although, it was a tad mean to Raph to make him referee.

Anyway, I should probably get on with the story, shouldn't I? Well, I got off of our flight, and immediately noticed that tension was running rife throughout the city. I don't know who is causing it, but it sure is a pretty powerful force. So I got off the plane with my mates, and then we got to retrieve our rides from the cargo bay. Our bikes looked none the worse for wear after our trans-continental flight.

Now we got on, and rode off to our safe house. Dartz told us to go and defeat the Chosen Duelists, but we didn't know who exactly they were yet. Alister had his sights on Kaiba, but that was Alister for you. Always obsessed with revenge back then. Raph didn't care about who he fought, as long as 'Master' approved. Me? I just wanted a good brawl out of it. Back then, I was not the most noble guy.

We used the Orichalcos to duel. It's a wicked magic card that takes the soul of the loser of a duel in which it's played. Cool, right? Well, it can be two-sided. It can take the user's soul too. It's just a pain, now that I actually look back at it. But anyway, back to the actual story.

()-()-()-()

Three weeks later, we met the Nameless Pharaoh dude. Apparently, we needed to defeat him to raise the Beast. Honestly, I didn't care about our 'duty to humanity.' But I saw an okay duelist by the name of Joey Wheeler one day, dueling my sweetheart, Mai Valentine, who hadn't yet (and still hasn't) realized that she was my girl. He looked like a good fighter, someone who knew the streets just as well as I did. And he had spunk. I like that in an opponent. It makes crushing them easier.

After that duel, Wheeler was the only focus of my energy. I modeled my deck around strategies to wreck his, and I tried to get him to duel me. We always got interrupted until that fateful night. Then I realized that heart really does help you win duels. Wheeler won that day, sending my soul to the Orichalcos.

Floating in that bubble really redefined my life. I realized that I was about to die, which would suck. Right then and there, I decided that if anything got me outta there, I would try to become a less violent person. When Wheeler and his friends saved my butt, I woke up in someone's beach house with Mai's card on my sheets. It was her goodbye token. I never saw her again.

()-()-()-()

Now I'm back in Domino, in that same place where I started a year or so before. Now my friends aren't by my side; we split up and haven't gotten back together since the collapse of Doom. I was hoping to find them. It feels weird being alone again, like I'm gonna go back to the street life. I hope that they got the same feeling I got, the one that made me come here, the place that changed all of our lives. Only time will tell.

()-()-()-()

**Hope you liked! Leave me a review!**


	4. The First Reunion

Hey, here's another chapter of this story. Thanks to **lottielue1** for her review! I'm glad that someone cares.

Anyway, here you are!

_**The First Reunion**_

Raphael was standing in a Starbucks, waiting for the line to move forward so that he could get some coffee. He was only partly awake; mornings were not his favorite time of day. He was conscious enough to call a taxi and ride it to the nearest Starbucks, and nothing else. After that, he was useless until his daily shot of caffeine. That day was the same, with him standing in line, eyes half closed, moving when the line moved. He ignored the looks of unease others gave him at his size. He was used to them by now.

Finally, he reached the front of the line. A bored voice asked him what he wanted. Raphael recognized the voice, but it wasn't until he actually told the cashier his order and the young man gasped that it really clicked in his sleep-fogged brain. Alister had somehow managed to get a job at Starbucks and was serving Raphael. At that realization, both men looked at each other for a little while, surprised as heck that they actually managed to meet each other. Then someone further back in the line yelled at the "lady" to keep the line moving. At this insult, Alister's eyes flashed; he did nothing else. Yet.

When he had gotten Raphael's drink, he slipped a note on it telling Raph to meet him outside the store at noon. Raphael found it, and decided to do so. It would be nice to catch up with old friends.

Alister recognized the voice of that annoying patron who called him a girl. Now the imbecile was trying to flirt with him. He silently resolved to mess up his drink. Then, as he spoke to confirm the man's order, the nasty man's eyes widened, and he realized his mistake.

"Hey! You aren't a lady! Who the hell are you?" he shouted. His eyes were widened and he looked as if he was slightly disgusted to have been hitting on a guy. Alister rolled his eyes. What a loser.

"My name happens to be Alister. If you had looked at my nametag, you would have seen that. You are correct. I am not a girl. Now, what was your order again? I forgot once you began to yell at me."

The man looked taken aback by Alister's sarcasm, but recited his order again. "I'd like a cappuccino with extra espresso for my wife. I'd also like an iced black tea with a lemon. That's all." As he turned away to talk with someone behind him, he missed the malevolent look in Alister's eyes as he turned. But Raphael didn't. He knew that someone's wife was about to be really mad.

When Alister turned back around, he wore a smile that was outwardly cordial. But as he handed the annoying man a frappuccino with no extra espresso and an iced green tea with a lemon and sprig of mint, he was jumping for joy inside. Also, he had punched what he had given to the man onto the receipt. So basically, he was just doing his job. It wasn't his fault that the man had yelled at him and made him forget the correct order.

At noon, Alister finally got off for his thirty minute lunch break. He stood outside the store, looking for the familiar profile. He finally saw Raphael sitting at a table on the far edge of the patio. He walked over and sat down.

"Hey, Raphael. It's been awhile. Where've you been?"

Raphael shrugged, and then said in a soft voice, "Here, there, everywhere. I've been looking for you and Valon almost since my soul was returned to my body. Now that I've found you, we can team up to find Valon."

Alister stopped him with a raised hand. "Hold on. What if Valon isn't even in Domino City? What if he's living in Australia or something? How will we find him then?"

Raphael just looked up at the sky. "All we can do is hope that Valon was drawn here. After all, it is the only place where he ever really had a home. Maybe we'll get lucky."

Even as they talked, Valon was sitting on the Domino pier, thinking about his best mates. He hoped that they would find him soon. He was running out of places to find food. Soon he would be back on the streets again. He hoped not. He never wanted to go back to that hell. He resolved to keep looking for Raph and Alister. No matter what.

A week later, Raphael drove his motorcycle through the backstreets of Domino City, looking for a familiar face. At the moment, he was living with Alister, since he had run out of money that he was willing to spend on a house, and Alister actually had a steady job. Just an hour ago, he had convinced the redhead that he needed to go out an actively look for the missing third biker when he caught the normally aloof man sneaking glances at the door, as if hoping against all hope that Valon would burst in.

Now he roared through the streets, seeing hundreds of people, but not the one boy he was looking for. He finally decided to go look at the port, since maybe Valon had stayed there, having no place to stay. When he drove through the fishy-smelling roads, searching for the fluffy haired boy, he despaired. It was already getting cold during the nights; soon the first freeze would hit. If he couldn't find Valon before the first snow, he feared finding him at the police station in a body bag.

But the boy had survived years on his own. Maybe, even if Raphael and Alister couldn't find him, he would be okay until they could find him. Only time would tell.

I hoped you liked it, everyone. Now just go ahead and type a review into that handy little box down there and click submit. Even a "Great job! :)" is welcome, people.

The next chapter will be a long time in coming. I'm busy with school, and a different fandom is currently occupying my time. Sorry for anyone looking for a new chapter for Dropping In.


	5. Together Again

Well, it took me long enough to write this. Sorry to everyone who tried to get me to update (especially you, **whitepedal**). I finally just had to get my rear in gear and write. Everyone, thank **whitepedal **for even reminding me of this story and my promises of an update. Otherwise it would have joined the ranks of those annoying stories that are never updated again. :/

This is the last chapter. No, this is not negotiable. Honestly, the YuGiOh fandom has faded from interest for me. I mostly wrote this because a little bunny kept whacking me over the head and forcing me to write, guilting me with your reviews.

* * *

><p><strong>Together Again <strong>

Valon shivered on the street corner. He'd been out there for months. He'd always been able to find food (he'd done this before), but warmth was a constant issue. Winter was quickly approaching and if he'd didn't find Raph and Alister soon, he'd be hard-pressed to last. Australia might have been cold, but it had nothing on Domino City in the winter.

He'd been subsisting on dumpster food and the little change he got from passersby. He hadn't had a true meal in weeks, but he definitely wasn't going to give up. He'd lasted _years_ in Australia, and as a little ankle-biter! With his age now he should be doing better, not worse.

"You've gone soft, mate," he muttered to himself, standing slightly unsteadily. He stepped out into the street, looking to cross it. A motorcycle turned the corner at the same time. Valon had a split second to realize "I know that bike" before it clipped him and he fell to the dirty concrete.

()o()o()

Raphael was once again doing his rounds of the backstreets of the city. His bike roared through the road, warning everyone ahead of him that he was coming. Well, all but one. One kid (he seemed strangely familiar, could it be?…) didn't even look up as the blonde biker approached the corner he was standing on.

The blonde jerked his bike as the kid (man?) stepped into the road, hands stuffed into his ratty jacket. He managed not to collide full-on, but he still clipped him with his handlebar in the gut.

The bike screeched to a halt as Raphael braked hard. He jumped off of the bike to see if the guy was hurt. As he knelt next to the brown-haired man – a few strands stuck out from his hood – he noticed that the guy he'd hit looked scarily like Valon. The blonde shook him hard, noticing that he was breathing, if a little harshly. He groaned, and his eyes blinked open slowly.

"Mate, you got a lotta nerve drivin' tha' bike so damn quickly 'round 'here!" he exclaimed as soon as his eyes focused. "Ya almos' took me out, an' ya still whacked me a good one in the stomach. Ya little…Raph?"

Said man stared in amazement (and a little bit of guilt) as Valon peered into his eyes. He cleared his suddenly parched throat. "Yeah?"

Valon glared. "Whadda think you're doin'? Ya almos' killed me, ya moron!"

The blonde had the decency to blush a little. "I was looking for you. We were worried about you."

The brunette's eyes softened. "Oh. Wait, _we_?"

Raphael nodded. "Yeah. Found Alister a while ago. We've been looking for you ever since."

Valon nodded. "Okay. So ya foun' me. Now what?"

Raphael grimaced. "Well, since I hit you with my bike, I'm sorry. We have a house, too. Do you want to come and live with us?"

The brunette laughed suddenly. "Do I? Oh, Raph, ya think I wanna stay out 'ere? You nuts?"

Raphael grimaced. "Just asking, Valon. You're right. I'm glad I found you before the snow started. Are there any cabs around here?"

Valon nodded, thinking hard. "Yeah. They stop about three blocks down. Why?"

The blonde biker turned to his bike. "You need a heated place to get to the house. I'll put you in the cab and give the driver our address, then follow on my bike."

Valon groaned. "Ya mean I gotta get up? I don' wanna!"

Raphael glared. "You're going to move or you're going to freeze, Valon."

"Well, when ya put it like tha'…I'm movin', I'm movin'!"

"Good. Come on. The blizzard is only a few kilometers away."

()o()o()

When Alister heard a car pull up, he stood from the couch he'd sat down on quite a few hours earlier. He left his book on the side table, moving to open the door to see who would be pulling up now. Raphael still hadn't come in, which worried him. Hopefully this car didn't bear bad news.

Then the door opened and Valon was standing in front of him, sheepish smirk in place. The redhead simply stared for a few seconds until Valon spoke, tilting his head. "Alister? Ya okay, mate? Ya seem a little pale. C'n ya lemme in? It's cold out 'ere."

Alister shook his head, stepping aside and letting the brunette into the warm house. "Hey Valon," he muttered, a rare smile coming to life on his face. "Missed you for a while. Good to know Raphael found you." As if summoned, Raphael's bike roared into the drive and the blonde dismounted.

"Valon," he stated, "Good to know you got in safe. I was worried when that cabbie gave me that look."

Valon sniggered. "Yeah, mate, 'e though' ya were crazy, drivin' a bike in this cold!" The blonde rolled his eyes at that, but kept moving towards the kitchen, where a mug of hot chocolate sat. He began heating water for another, knowing that Valon would want one as soon as he knew that they had it. True to form, when Valon noticed the steaming mug, he exclaimed, "Oi! I want some o' tha'!"

Alister smirked and moved to the cupboard, where he found the little packet and dumped it in the freshly-filled mug of hot water. "Fine, Valon. Here you go."

Valon took a sip immediately and yelped. "It burned me tongue!" he justified when his friends (oh yes, they were his friends) glanced at him. They rolled their eyes and chuckled, and Valon finally felt at home in a place. He'd never really had a home before. It had always been the streets until DOOM. There it felt like a home, but nowhere near as kind as it felt here. The brunette relaxed fully for the first time in years and laughed loudly, genuinely, as the other two men chuckled also.

They felt the same. Both knew the feeling of a home, and they felt that same warmth and peace here, in this house. They would be together for a long time, they knew. They had no other family – or at least no other loved ones – to stay with. The three of them were their own ragtag family, tied together by bonds of friendship and hardship, of tough love and carefree jokes. Nothing could ever split them apart. Not even Fate itself.

They had proven that.

* * *

><p>Well, there you go, folks! Hop you enjoyed.<p>

And to anyone who cares, no I will _not_ be making any spin-offs, sequels, etc for this story. Again, YuGiOh has lost its shine for me. I also have 2 other stories (on 2 different sites) that I need to finish. Sorry...

Signing off for the last time, YuGiOh fandom.

Dri out.


End file.
